Thank you for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!
After brushing her teeth, stuffing cash into her purse, and changing into her jeans, white sweater, light blue sweatshirt, matching scarf, black beanie, white gloves, and gray sneakers, Maritza hands her maid outfit, black heels, and light blue lingerie to Vee. Then, with her purse in hand, she walks confidently through the club to wait outside on the curb. She was glad she'd gotten to have dinner there. In her other jobs, she would've had to eat before or wait until after and possibly starve. Besides the disgusting acts she has to perform and gross comments about her body-all of which she can ignore-it's really not too bad. She gets paid a hefty sum, she's allowed to go home if she so desires, and the girls she'd gotten to know are so kind. She wishes she could find a way to get them out of the business, though, because it's clear that they aren't too happy there or proud of what they do. It's such a shame because sex work shouldn't be embarrassing. Women of all shapes and sizes ought to be proud of their bodies, she thinks.
Unfortunately, nobody except Nicky has anyone looking for them, really. Maritza has a strong suspicion that those girls were connected in some way before they started at the brothel and Nicky's mother figure had made all of the missing person signs. Maritza wishes she knew who this woman was, so she could give her a hint of where they could be. Or just a straight answer. At the same time, she knows prostitution is illegal, and she wouldn't want to get them or herself in trouble.
She flags down a taxi and tells the female driver Karla's address. She has no idea of the time, but it's incredibly dark. She's afraid to look at her phone. Her plan was to make it home before her mother. She'd just tell Karla she was out with Darius and he had dropped her off. Karla's probably busy with her husband at this moment, anyway. Raiza and Benji are most likely snuggled in their beds, all cozy and warm. Maritza will try to sneak into the house with the keys Ramón had made for her and Blanca. She doesn't want Blanca making a fuss about her going out on a date and looking all fancied up and coming home too late. She can recall the last time she had a boyfriend and it hadn't worked out, understandably so. Blanca had hated Biff Stratman with good reason. However, she could've very well been hanging out with friends, too.
Please don't be midnight. Please don't be midnight. Please don't-
Although she's not too cold, she's shivering with nerves as she pulls her phone out of her purse and checks the time. It's only eleven-forty-five, so she breathes a huge sigh of relief. However, there are a few texts and several missed calls from Blanca she needs to answer, pronto.
11:30PM-Okay nena, I'll be home in exactly one hour. You make sure to get into the house quietly so you don't wake the kids. Try getting home by eleven-forty-five, no quiero Karla to have to stay up too late waiting for not only Ramón and me, but you, too. Get right into bed after doing your nightly routine. I love you my girl. Besos y abrazos.
I don't want
"Too late for that," Maritza grumbles under her breath and then reads the second message. 11:35PM-Maritza? Por favor respóndeme, I'm getting worried.
11:40PM-What are you doing?! I'm about to call Karla to see if she can pick you up. Where are you? Dame la dirección.
Give me the address.
11:44PM-? Answer!
Maritza's heart lurches and falls into her stomach as she rushes to respond. "Lo siento, Mami, salí con amigas y I lost track del tiempo, I'm coming home in a cab right now," she mumbles to herself as she types it and sends.
Sorry, Mom, I was out with friends. of time
Karla's house comes into view. "Okay, right here, I'm gonna get out now." Maritza counts her money and gives the necessary amount to the driver just before leaving the cab. "Thank you!"
"Have a good night, ma'am." The woman salutes her as she drives off. Maritza beams proudly at being called ma'am. She must look at least twenty with all her makeup. She's never felt so grown up.
Karla lets her inside as soon as Maritza calls her mother's best friend to say that she's arrived and is on the front porch waiting. "Whoa, girl, you usually don't get this dolled up for an evening out."
"Yeah, I just felt like it tonight," Maritza tells her anxiously. "I gotta take a shower..."
"Why do you smell like cheap perfume? I didn't think you or your friends wore that..."
Oh shit. Obviously, Blanca would've told Karla what Maritza said she'd been up to. So, she has to keep her story straight and not tangle herself in a web of lies. "Um...we don't, but we wanted to try some samples at the mall and we also got free makeovers. It was a cool experience."
Karla folds her arms over her chest, still not looking convinced. She narrows her eyes in skepticism. "What about that strong, overwhelming scent of cologne?"
"We ran into my new boyfriend, and so I hung out with him and he took me here afterward. The other girls got rides home from their parents."
"He didn't walk you to the door?" Karla asks, her voice dripping with concern. "I didn't notice anyone's car leaving when I saw you out the window."
"He doesn't have the best sense, I just didn't want you to freak out and tell Mami. I'm sure he didn't do it to be cruel or nothin'..."
"Tell him he needs to wait with you next time when it's dark out, otherwise it's incredibly dangerous!"
Maritza nods quickly. "I will! I was going to get it taken care of anyway. After that, I'll get into the shower. Please, keep this between us that I have a boyfriend. Mami doesn't need to know just yet, but I promise, I'll always go to you for advice if I'm havin' problems with him. Besides Aleida, you're the only one who knows that we...went all the way. So, I trust you on this."
"Okay. Well, don't ever be afraid to tell me the truth...about anything. You don't have to make me coax it out of you and ask a million questions. Just give me full, honest answers when I ask you something, and that goes for your mother, too." Karla yawns and plays with her curly hair, bunching it up and then fanning it out over her shoulders.
"I got it."
"Cool, that's all I wanted to say. Now you may darte una ducha."
take a shower
"Alright, bye!" Maritza tells her merrily and then runs off to do just that.
"Anyone ever tell you that you look just like Catherine Zeta-Jones?" Blanca asks as Diane takes her to Karla's place. She relaxes slowly as Maritza's reply comes in at last. Okay, felíz you're safe, pero don't let it happen again. I'll let Karla know, I'm borrowing Diane's phone!
Diane beams. "Maybe just my daughters and my husband did. We saw The Haunting together recently with her."
"Oh...because you do. Especially in that movie." Diane's phone buzzes and she glances down at Maritza's answer with a grin. No dejaré que vuelva a suceder. I'm at Karla's now. "Also the two Zorro films. There was a Blanca in the second one. I loved hearing my name!"
I won't let it happen again.
"I know, so cool! Wow, thank you! You're my best employee anyways, though, so you didn't need to say that!"
"I guess I'm just a people-pleaser. Sorry." If there's one thing Blanca specializes in, it's making others feel good. For men, she goes for their libido, but for women, it's compliments about their looks.
"Oh, don't apologize. Please."
"Isn't Antonio Banderas dreamy in his Zorro movies?" Blanca asks, and the women giggle together.
"Oh yes, my heart melted at all of his scenes with Catherine! Especially the dancing and their playful sword fights with each other...and how they battled their enemies side-by-side."
"A power couple...it reminded me of him with Salma Hayek in Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He has great chemistry with both actresses," Blanca points out.
"Agreed! Hey...you resemble Rosario Dawson from Josie and the Pussycats."
"Really? My daughter told me Salma Hayek."
"You got her hair, but your face is Rosario's, you're kind of a mix of both!"
Blanca smiles at her boss. "¡Gracias! Some have told me Frida Kahlo, too...even if I waxed my unibrow. I promise, I always keep myself groomed."
"Oh, she was great! You have the same facial features."
Blanca feels pride flow through her. "Sometimes, I feel like I have her strength, too. She was a fighter, a survivor, and so am I."
"Aren't we all?" Diane asks rhetorically.
"Yeah. How are your daughters, by the way? They doin' okay?"
Diane nods with a proud beam. "Alex is my world traveler...she's in Paris right now, but she's coming home for Thanksgiving! We can't wait to see her, it's been so long! Katie's great, too, she's getting As and Bs in school, scoring baskets left and right, and she's such a nice person in general. She helps out Charles and I, she's an awesome friend to everyone, and she respects the staff. She's never caused us any trouble."
"Terrific!" Blanca comments. "Wow, I can't believe it, I haven't seen Katie since she was just a tiny infant! Maritza has mentioned she's friends with her, so I assume they're around the same age. I know Alex is just a year older than me."
"Mm-hm, they grow up so fast! Katie just had her sweet sixteen, her first co-ed party, too. However, no kissing has happened yet."
"Aw, well, maybe it did, but she's keeping it to herself. I know Mari doesn't tell me everything, it's typical of a teenager."
"Oh yeah, I remember, I've been there and done that."
"Same here."
"Alex has a girlfriend she's in Paris with, and she's bringing her home...however, I don't get good vibes from this one." Diane sighs. "Of course, I never liked the chicks she chose. I knew before she did, that they would become bad news. Sylvie was highly controlling, Digger left Alex for a water skiier, and Piper..." Diane scoffs and shakes her head. "She seems like a WASP from how Alex speaks about her. Besides, I remember she's part of the Chapman family, who I don't respect at all. Except the teenage boy Cal, he's the class clown, but he's polite and doesn't treat poor and middle-class people as less than him, even if he is rich. I guess Alex gets it from me...falling for the wrong motherfucker."
"Well, who can blame her? That first one sounded hella manipulative..." Blanca mutters.
"Oh, she was. The second was just like Alex's father. It was dumb of me to have a one-night-stand with a goddamn band member who I'd never see again, but forgetting the condom was probably one of the best things I've ever agreed to, as well. Alex isn't a mistake at all, I was blessed to have her. I just thought for a second, that Lee would stick around and at least date me in between tours. I woke up to him not there, even though he spent the entire night telling me how much he loved me. I bet he's homeless now and fuckin' all kinds of hos out there, probably getting every sexually transmitted disease known to man."
"Serves his dumb ass right! Hope he's not giving any to them, though."
"Yeah, me neither. Poor girls. Hey, I least I got my Charlie," Diane murmurs, smiling again. "He's an amazing man."
"Aw, yeah, how many years you been married again?"
"It'll be our eighteenth anniversary in a few months."
"Oh, wow!" Blanca says through a laugh. "Well, um...I guess since you've told me your girls' accomplishments, I should let you know about mine. Maritza's doing pretty well in school, her best subjects are English, as you know since you teach it, and Spanish! She has a wonderful circle of friends and she's ever so eager to help her mami and little sister. She's trying to get another job at the moment...she doesn't want to work for the Chapmans or Nicholses anymore, but someplace in Manhattan. She says she'll take the bus or the subway, and I really hope she's being careful. She's usually home before dark unless she's with a friend, and I trust her. Raiza loves learning how to spell and she enjoys bouncing and kicking balls, acting out stories with her dolls, and playing with her friends! She and Maritza are both my precious angels. I couldn't ask for better children."
"Me neither! Yours are absolutely lovely. I already knew Maritza was, it's a pleasure having her in class, and Raiza, I've just seen a few times in the restaurant, but she never fails to melt my heart with her happy giggles. Four is such a cute age."
"It is!" Blanca agrees. "I used to not have a clue on how you raised your daughter all by yourself for fifteen years until Charles came along, but now I get it."
"Dean left a year after Maritza was born?" Diane scoffs. "Stupid punk, I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm sure you're all better off without him."
"Well, not exactly." Blanca figures she should fill Diane in on the story she'd been feeding the younger women and if Red ever brings up her ex, she'd tell the older Russian lady the same thing. "He...passed on, just before the girls and I came back to Queens." She twiddles her thumbs and squeezes her clasped hands in between her knees. "I was just sayin' that I'm starting to get used to being a single mom, like you were."
"Ohhh..." Diane nods. "I understand. I apologize that you lost him...and that I jumped to conclusions and assumed he was a scumbag."
"Thank you for your condolences," Blanca murmurs. "Hey, don't worry about it. You had no idea. You experienced a loser and my wording sounded like he had left a decade and a half ago like your ex did. My bad."
"Yeah, just because Lee turned out to be a sleazeball, doesn't mean every other man would be, too, I mean, look at how well Ramón treats Karla, and James with Lila...those two couples have been together for as long as I can remember, since they were all in my sophomore and senior English classes! I never knew of teens being that crazy about each other and never actually separating!"
"Mm-hm, it's not often a sixteen-year-old girl finds her future life partner in freakin' high school. Most breakups happen around graduation...people drift apart and all because of the distance between their colleges or different interests as they grow up. You don't even know who the hell you are when you're that young...but I suppose they did. Or, the right guys just so happened to come into Karla's and Lila's lives at that time. It's amazing, really." Blanca smiles, despite feeling a tiny bit choked up that she missed the details of her friends' love stories. "I bet their weddings must've been beautiful. I'm just glad I didn't miss yours..."
"They were," Diane confirms. She puts a comforting hand on Blanca's arm. "I'm happy you attended mine, but I would've understood. They do, too. When you move away, you miss things. That's just how it is...but we're all so pleased to have you back!"
I couldn't help it! Blanca wants to scream. He fucking made me and Maritza leave our whole life behind! Instead, though, she just grins and forces her sadness away. "I'm gonna stay here, I promise. Leaving New York was a mistake, and I'll never do it again."
"Good, because your absence absolutely killed us all!" Diane exclaims as she pulls up to the Córdovas' driveway.
"Aw, I'm sorry..." Blanca unbuckles her seatbelt and unlocks the car door to let herself out. "I bet everyone felt abandoned..."
"Please don't apologize." Diane hugs her and Blanca returns it. "I shouldn't be making you feel guilty...you have the right to your own choices. Have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, and good night!"
"Thanks, you too!" Blanca exits the vehicle and shuts the door behind her. They wave at each other. She then goes up to Karla's house and knocks while texting her eldest daughter and her best friend that she's outside.
Karla opens the door right away with a bright smile on her face. "Hola, chica, ¿cómo te fué en el trabajo?"
Hey girl, how was work?
"¡Excelente! Diane me llevó a casa."
Great! Diane drove me home.
"That was sweet of her!" Karla comments as they embrace. "As I told Maritza before, Ramón is at his job site, hanging out with his pals, which I totally understand!"
"Sí...pero ¿dónde está Maritza?"
where is Maritza?
"Justo aquí, mamá!" Maritza calls out. Blanca is pleased that she appears to be all ready for bed and she's taken a shower.
Right here, Mom!
"Aw, there's my well-behaved little girl!" Blanca exclaims and gathers Maritza in her arms. She pecks Maritza's temple a few times and then her cheek. "You promise you won't scare your mami like that again, though?"
Maritza nods. "Sí. Lo prometo."
"¡Genial, me alegra oir esto!"
Great, I'm happy to hear it!
"Hey, man, necesito tu consejo," Diablo tells Ramón as they walk into an industrial hall after a strenuous four hours of work.
I need your advice.
"¿Sí?"
"Blanca seems like she's been through some cosas malas, even before ese horrible hombre gave her that black eye. No sé, algo en sus ojos me lo dice, y cómo ella habla a veces. Y my feelings are burning strong for her still, almost sixteen years later. Tal vez porque nunca tuve la oportunidad de amarla como ella se merecía. I'd love to ask her out on a one-on-one date, but I don't wanna make her feel uncomfortable." Ramón can relate to this. He remembers trying to say hi to Karla on the way to his desk, but she had ignored him, her face turning red her only response. He'd glanced at her paper, at her neatly scrawled name. Karlita. Sometimes, she'd sign her work with Karli. She would dot her I's with hearts and he'd thought it was quite endearing. He could also sense some vulnerability in her, almost like something awful had happened to her. He never wanted to ask since he respected her privacy, but he simply made a silent vow to himself to always protect her, just be her friend, and never come on too strong-no matter how much he was attracted to her. That's what Diablo should do too, with Blanca.
bad things I dunno, something in her eyes tells me, and how she talks sometimes. Maybe because I never got a chance to love her in the way she deserved.
"I let Karla take the reins y pedirme una cita primero. She, too, seemed a little jumpy when we first met."
and ask me out on a date first
"Who?" Leon asks as the men approach him, Weevil, and Hassan. They're all going to relax and unwind until around midnight.
"My wife. Diablo needed some advice about kickin' back with Blanca...on a deeper level than friendship," Ramón answers.
"Oooh, damn, Señor Romántico!" Weevil teases him, and Diablo jabs his bandmate in the ribs with his elbow. "Get it, ese."
"It ain't like that," Diablo tells him. "She's amazing, sí, pero...I don't know if she likes me the same way. According to Ramón, I should allow her to start the relationship if she wants one with me. I can't just push her into a wall and start making out with her."
"Yeah, you gotta wait til it's mutual between y'all before that happens," Hassan says.
"Come on, grow some balls and tell her how you feel!" Weevil says. The men cheer Diablo on in unison.
"Alright, I will!" he yells over them.
Leon claps Ramón on the back. "Dude, tell our brotha how you wooed your lady in the first place. Maybe it'll give him some ideas. I'm no help, since I got no clue if Aleida truly loves me. We're dating and all, but she's also going out with Cesar. I think she uses me to make him jealous since he might have a lady on the side, she says."
"Damn that sucks, jefe, maybe ask her straight up," Ramón advises their boss. He turns to Diablo. "So, I met mi corazón in high school. The first time I saw her in class, she had her head down over her homework. I introduced myself and said hi and good morning to her for a month until she finally stopped blushing and gave me a small smile in return. It also probably helped that I cracked some funny one-liners and got a few sweet giggles out of her and talked to her about moving from El Salvador. Turned out, she lived there too, until she was twelve.
"I noticed a change in her as time passed and she was more comfortable with being called her full name, Karla. Before, it was Karlita or Karli. She seemed a lot less shy and skittish than she was when we first met. She was soon okay with having full-on conversations with me, and then she became my friend. She later chatted me up and then we made plans to go out on a group date. We found that we were compatible and tried out going to the movies by ourselves. I asked her permission to put my arm around her and hold her hand. She was fine with it. Now she's my special lady forever." It had taken a lot of time and effort for him and Karla to build the bond between them, but in the end, it'd been so worth it.
"Nice!" Diablo sits on a platform truck with Ramón and Hassan. Leon grabs beers from the mini fridge and throws them each a can. "So, as you know, I also started working in that vieja's garden, and who should be there this afternoon, but Blanca! I saw her just...gazing at me with these love-struck eyes...through the window. Turns out she's the maid. I feel like it's a sign that we're meant to be close, you know? I click with her so much...she's the first girl I fell in love with. She and I tell each other everything. I'd do anything for her. She's my best female friend and whether our relationship turns romantic and sexy or not, I think we'll be in each other's lives forever. I've already met her daughters, they're darling angels, and she's become acquainted with Laronne. I want to take us all to New York City one day. That'd be a fun family vacation. I already took them all out to Dave and Busters, we had a grand old time!" Ramón is happy for his friend that things with Blanca are going pretty well.
"It's safe to say you're whipped!" Hassan points out and the other men nod in agreement. Diablo downs his beer. "I mean that in a positive way, though. I'm the same as you about my Alison. I treasure her and our baby girl."
"My beautiful Karla, our upcoming son, and our little Benji, are the most important people en mi vida," Ramón chimes in.
in my life
They turn to their boss and stare at him questioningly. "I'm that way about Aleida and her children," Leon says. "I only hope she can drop Cesar soon...even if she doesn't, I adore those kids of hers, so I wouldn't stop seeing them often or spoiling them. Eva's got me wrapped around her little finger, Christina and Emiliano are adjusting, but they're more comfortable with me around rather than Cesar, and Lucy's actually my daughter with Aleida, so there's that. Daya has actually expressed that she hopes her mom will come around and choose me over that slimy, slithery son of a bitch...in her words exactly. I couldn't agree more, though, he is a snake! Aleida's way too good for him...it's just unfortunate that she doesn't see it."
"Aw, sweet, those kids are lucky to have you around! I feel you on that last point. Blanca had rose-colored glasses on when it came to that brutal piece of shit Dean," Diablo mutters. "At least she didn't play around with my heart, though. She was loyal to that bastard, no matter how jealous he got. He hated me so much, dudes. He'd kick my ass and...I really think he despised me more than he loved her. Fuck, I'm glad she's back and away from him. She seems happier without him. Still has a somewhat haunted look in her eyes at times, but she's more relaxed. When we're together, it's like old times. We act like teenagers around each other, laughin' and shit...she truly is the best." He's slurring his words now, probably buzzed. "God, she's so pretty...smart...funny...great at what she does...and she's a wonderful mother and human being in general. Her voice is music to my ears."
Weevil claps his back a few times and they chuckle in unison. "Yeah, you got it bad, man. You oughta snatch her up before some other guy does. This is your second chance, so don't waste it!"
"Nah, I get it about him not wanting to force Blanca into a relationship," Ramón counters Diablo's bandmate. "He shouldn't. I have faith that she'd choose him if she decided to date." He looks over at Diablo. "Really, I do! Women can be hard to read...but I could tell from our high school years, that you and Blanca were falling in love. It was obvious. She had mad vibes for you...still does. I could see her checking you out while you were dancing together!"
Weevil appears to be stunned. "Whoa, you didn't tell me that!" he says, sounding slightly offended. "When was this?"
"Her birthday dinner at the Monte Carlo Room last week," Diablo informs him. "She wasn't gonna have men in the first place, but I asked her to chill and she invited me and her friends' significant others. I was really not expecting that! It was the first party of hers that I'd ever been to. She said she had the time of her life, basically."
"It seemed like you were a real couple right there as you spun around the dance floor, also, when she hugged you," Hassan comments.
Leon snickers. "Oh, she's definitely into you, bro."
"Daaaamn, maybe we oughta throw a concert and ask her to come!" Weevil says.
"Yeah, I was just about to say we would! We'll make it kid-friendly, too...so she can bring her daughters along and Raiza can sit on her shoulders. Maritza will probably enjoy the music, too! I know Blanca loves it."
"Awesome, dude! Go for it!" Ramón tells him. Leon and Hassan murmur their agreements. They all give him high fives.
Their encouragement is really helping and just talking about Blanca makes Diablo want to gather her in his arms and kiss her until they're both gasping and breathless, stumbling into walls and counters and knocking over everything in their path. He'd hoist her up and her legs would straddle his waist while she laced her fingers against the back of his neck. Then, he would carry her to his bed-or hers-for some passionate lovemaking. Her lips are probably soft like her skin, and he can only imagine how it would feel to run his hands through her hair and down her back and shoulders and around her curves. He'd give her the most amazing kisses across her cheeks, down her neck, and all over her supple body and cause her to moan in pleasure, begging him not to stop, and he wouldn't-because he wants her to experience sex and love with a real gentleman who knows what the hell he's doing.
Diablo groans under his breath as his erection starts to strain against his jeans. He's relieved that it's not showing in front of all his buddies since it's hidden under his long dark red T-shirt. Without explanation, he races to the men's room and curses himself as he masturbates in a stall. He hadn't meant for his mind to go there, but it did. He feels awful that he's lusting after her when she's had hardships before and is still struggling now. She probably doesn't cream all over herself whenever his name comes up. She has other things to deal with.
He decides he'll need to take a cold shower when he gets back home.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, Juliette45 and MsSchneehiede!